In developing LIVE Singapore!, the project addresses research related to the following areas:

Urban real-time data platform

Development of a platform that allows collecting, processing and distributing real-time data that originates in the city. Instead of focusing on any one specific application or limited number and type of data stream, this project explores up solutions that can cater for a large number of streams of very different kind of data, emphasizing the possibility of creatively combining multiple streams in the subsequent design of applications on top of the platform. As many users will be using this system simultaneously, key aspects will comprise building a scalable and distributed infrastructure to smoothly distribute loads between platform and application providers without affecting the overall performance of the system.

Flexible & Accessible API

Developing a platform for a many different types of real-time data, connector modules are critical. Emphasize is put on devising an API structure that creates an appropriate balance between the required structure of data feeds and maintaining a high level of flexibility related to enabling the connection of streams with little effort on data preparation on the supplier side. The API development is aimed at enabling a data query mechanism that allows users with little programming experience to easily tap the data pool brought together on the platform.

Interface and interaction models for a real-time data platform

Two dimensional layered views have long been the most common way of representing and interacting with geo-referenced datasets. Developing LIVE Singapore! as a platform for a large number of diverse data streams, new models are being explored to gain access to and leverage these data streams of time and location based data streams. As Singapore is a vertical city, we explore how to structure real-time data streams using 3 dimensional models and how to visually access this information efficiently.

Query and search

In the context of the real-time data platform, a critical aspect concerns ways of efficiently finding, and using these streams in a meaningful way. Users don't search for static data only, but real-time information that can change quickly: "where is the nearest store with my favorite product?" or "where are the most crowded bars?". The project leverages recent findings in semantic web technologies to annotate places, data, and devices so that they can be processed automatically.

Visualization tools for urban data

On a higher level, LIVE Singapore! investigates techniques to efficiently generate visualizations that help extrapolate meaning from the vastness of data produced by a city. In particular, emphasize is put on developing a framework that allows designers to easily integrate, filter and recombine data streams and display the results in various forms (maps, plots, …).